When we moved to Greenfield I was  already concerned about planting a garden that would welcome pollinators, or which there are many. Today is the first time I have ever heard of Pollinators Week and Pollinators Month. I have planted many flowers that welcome pollinators – bees, bugs, and butterflies. Asters come in many sizes  and colors. I will start with these low growing asters, Woods Blue, bloom in the fall – and they are spreaders! A friend gave me a small box of these asters, and now five years later I have plenty to share myself.

The familiar black-eyed susans are great flowers for pollinators. The petal arrangement makes it easy for bees of all sorts to get the pollen and nectar. Like the Woods Blue asters, they spread nicely, and can she shared.

Bee balm, otherwise known as Monarda, comes in many colors. It is wonderful to listen to the buzzin’ of  the bees when these are in bloom.

Button Bush is a wonderful plant. Happily for me whose garden is very wet, the buttonbush thrives. This shrub could actually live at the edge  of a river, and allowing the roots to live right in the water. The white button balls entice all kinds of bees. This bush bloom in July.

Feathery foliage and easy access for the pollen and nectar.  These bloom in July and into August.

This echinacea is the native variety. There are many varieties that have a similar flower, albeit in different colors. These all welcome bees, butterflies, and the birds that like the seeds. However there are other varieties that look like shaggy dogs and would not be as welcoming if you are enticing all those creatures.

This is an unusual Joe Pye Weed because of the variegated foliage. My garden also has the standard Joe Pye Weed and it attracts just as many butterflies.

We are all familiar about the big field milkweeds that are fun to open and blow away the fluff of the seed case, but we now have beautiful and colorful low growing milkweeds – Aesclepias tuberobsa.

In my garden the  water loving Cardinal flowers , Lobelia cardinalis, share space with the A. tuberosa, These come in shade of scarlet, plummy purple and pale pink.

Salvias, which is in the Sage family, come in many colors and sizes and appeal to many pollinators.

There are many achilleas, yarrow. I only have a golden achillea, but I am not sure which variety. I do love to watch and listen to the buzzin’ of the bees.

There are many other good pollinator attractors. My list here is not complete, and I am always adding. This year I planted snapdragons and I am looking forward to seeing if I can welcome butterflies like the cabbage white, grey hairstreak, pearl crescent, and swallowtail pollinators.

Do you entice pollinators into your garden? I am celebrating.

For more about pollinator flowers click

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AttractingPollinatorsV5.pdf#:~:text=Pollinators%20have%20evolved%20with%20native%20plants%2C%20which%20are,while%20green%20sweat%20bees%20prefer%20more%20open-faced%20sunflowers.